The duplex bungalow we resided at so far was now too big for our needs. When on tour, I remained worried about Rani’s safety. A thief could lurk anywhere. A robber could force entry through any of the four doors. The locality had lost its rustic charm with the appearance of residential apartments all around. I already hated the raddiwalla shop at the head of the lane, and the emergence of a meat shop on the approach road had turned the matter worse. The final nail was driven in the coffin with three tyre punctures within a span of forty-five days or so.
The flat we moved into is part of an apartment. It has power back up, security, and other such small comforts. Smriti and Anupam liked it, and Rani, in spite of rejecting it initially, accepted it later. Some of the furniture – an almirah, a writing desk, a cabinet, etc., could not be accommodated and had to be sold off.
The commuting time has been shortened by one complete hour! The place is safer. We have a neighbour to whom Rani can talk. The market is nearby.
However, one cannot have everything good in life! The place has a major drawback. It is next to a traffic junction. There are speed breakers on two major sides of the junction. Vehicles coming near to the junction apply brake, speed up, realise that another side also has a speed breaker, apply brake again, accelerate and zoom ahead. In the dead of the night the sound is enough to rudely wake you up, and keep you awake.
It appears that jackals or some similar animals infiltrate into the area when it is dark. The dogs object, and a howling, barking and shrieking campaign starts. The cacophony continues till somebody warns the dogs with a “heh”!
A stray bull also appears to have liked the area for its nocturnal pursuits. While taking the round at about 2 PM, it makes a typical sound as only bulls can make.
The sum result is that I keep awake most of the nights listening to the orchestra of bull as the lead singer, the dogs as the chorus, and the sound of the vehicles as the accompanying music.
Day before yesterday I decided to sleep in the other room. Repeated the act yesterday. The room is definitely less noisy, but the bed is too small to accommodate two persons!
Let’s see what happens tonight!
संदेश
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें